The Big Bang Theory: Season 8Review

Usually once a TV series starts approaching the 10 season mark, each new season is a case of diminishing returns. The show rehashes familiar beats and starts dragging its feet. The Big Bang Theory isn't one of the more dynamic or progressive comedies on TV as it is. With such a large, steady fanbase and a renewal through the 2016-2017 TV season, what incentive does the show have to take risks and shake up the familiar formula. But while the show did seem rest on its laurels for a good portion of Season 8, the show is no better or worse than it has been in recent years.

Season 8 got off to a fairly rocky start in the beginning as it dealt with the cliffhanger from Season 7. Here the show had a chance to welcome evolution and change as Sheldon dealt with the frustration of seeing Leonard and Penny move closer to marriage and his comfortable little world turned upside down. Instead, "The Locomotion Interruption" did little more than restore the status quo. Sheldon returned home (in a manner oddly similar to his previous flight from home in the episode "The Bozeman Excursion") and life returned more or less to normal for the whole gang. It wasn't a great way to kick off the new season.

However, there were some strong episodes early out of the gate. "The Junior Professor Solution" introduced fun new challenge for Sheldon as he found himself forced to become a junior professor at Caltech and interact with undergraduate students. It was just a shame this development was never acknowledged again after this episode. Other early standouts included "The Focus Attenuation," where the girls headed to Vegas for a bit of drunken tomfoolery while the guys stayed home to nerd out, and "The Hook-up Reverberation," where Raj discovered the downside of his newfound ladies man status.

Easily the high point for the season as a whole came in early November with "The Prom Equivalency." The concept of Penny and Bernadette staging a mock prom for everyone who missed out on the real thing was solid, and used in an endearing way rather than as a chance to poke fun at the other characters for their antisocial tendencies. Sheldon and Amy's slowly unfolding relationship was the central focus of that episode. And as mistreated as Amy can be on this show, it was great to see the two take a significant step forward as Sheldon confessed his love for her. Despite Leonard and Penny's engagement, the two sort of lost focus as the central couple of the show this year, leaving Amy and Sheldon to pick up the slack.

That episode was rivaled, however, by the more recent "The Troll Manifestation." That episode took the running subplot of Leonard and Sheldon penning a revolutionary physics paper and exploited it to great comedic effect. The two were forced to defend their work against a relentless online bully who turned out to be none other than Stephen Hawking having a virtual laugh. The show was crammed full of celebrity guest appearances this season, including usual suspects like Wil Wheaton and newcomers like Kevin Smith. Season 7 still set the gold standard in that area, between Bob Newhart's final bow as Professor Proton and Sheldon's wild night out with James Earl Jones, but generally the celebrity cameos were a help rather than a hindrance when it came to comedy.

Unfortunately, there were some fairly lousy episodes as well, particularly as the season wore on. The one that still sticks out the most personally is "The Leftover Thermalization," one of the episodes that dealt with the fallout of actress Carol Ann Susi's untimely death and the subsequent death of her character, Mrs. Wolowitz. Sheldon and Leonard's physics paper storyline carried over into this episode as the two squabbled over who deserved more credit for its creation. Frankly, the two characters have never been more unlikable or childish than when they ruined their friend's emotional farewell to his mother. Petty jealousies and forced drama derailed some other episodes this season, including the late-season installment "The Communication Deterioration."

Looking back at the whole of Season 8, there were some highlights and low points, and a lot of solid, middle-of-the road episodes in between. Nothing too out of the ordinary in that regard. The real question is how well the season fit together as a whole and how much it did to push the characters and their relationships forward. And in that sense, Season 8 sometimes came up lacking. It speaks to the sluggish momentum of the show right now that the Sheldon/Amy romance, one that's defined by its comically slow progression, received the most growth in Season 8. Too often, it seemed as if the core group barely evolved over the course of the year. Leonard and Penny's engagement didn't lead to much for either character beyond some general cold feet and squabbling over money. Howard faced several concurrent struggles this season in terms of maturing as a husband and finding new purpose after having traveled to space, but his character arc never felt very focused. Raj had two interesting storylines in the form of his blossoming romance with Emily and his parents; divorce, but neither plot point received nearly enough attention this season.

Even outside the core relationships that drive the show, there were too many plot points that were unceremoniously dropped despite their ongoing potential. I already mentioned Sheldon's short-lived teaching career. That could have done a lot for the character, putting him into an uncomfortable new status quo and forcing him to adapt to his new role. Then there was the sudden revival and subsequent abandonment of Penny's acting career late in the season. Sadly, too often the writers were content to introduce a new element and then abandon it by episode's end. At times there was frustratingly little continuity between episodes.

It's enough to wonder how the final couple months of Season 8 would have played out if not for Susi's passing. No doubt that unfortunate development necessitated some rewrites and shuffling of storylines. Certainly, the show gave her a proper farewell as it explored the immediate and ongoing impact of that loss across several episodes. But it didn't do anything to boost the show's overall momentum or build a stronger sense of focus.

The good news is that the season ended on a strong note. "The Commitment Determination" seemed to light a fire under several characters as a number of running story threads culminated at once. Amy finally seemed to grow fed up of not receiving the attention she deserves from Sheldon. Penny and Leonard finally chose to follow through with their engagement and head to Vegas, only for some new cracks to form in their relationship. Even Raj was forced to come to a difficult decision regarding his cooling romance with Emily. After several season finales in a row that hinged on little more than one character taking an extended vacation, it was great to see such a dramatic finish for Season 8. And ideally, one that will have to be addressed head-on in the Season 9 premiere.

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The Verdict

The Big Bang Theory didn't change much in its eighth season. The show remains a comfortable and familiar source of geek-oriented humor, but also one that hinges heavily on the core character relationships. Those relationships were at the heart of some really enjoyable episodes this year. And often, the weaker moments of the season came when the writers tried too hard to force drama and conflict rather than allowing it to develop naturally. The real sticking point this season was the lack of tangible progression with these relationships and of continuity from episode to episode. But with the unusually dramatic season finale, hopefully Season 9 will be able to develop a stronger and more immediate momentum for itself.